Don't Look Down (page 5)
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*
“What are we going to do?” Krista asked softly, after Gordon was done talking to David.
“I don’t know yet,” he responded hesitantly, “but we can’t stay here. We’ll have to go somewhere else for a few weeks.”
“But she knows every place you live,” Krista reminded him.
“You heard David, we could stay at his place,” Gordon said eagerly, “come on, it’ll be fun. He’s got a little girl that Savannah can play with.”
“Well.. “ Krista fidgeted nervously, “I mean, as long as he said it was okay.”
“He did, babe,” Gordon reassured her, “David doesn’t say things unless he really means them and besides, it’ll do Savannah good to have a friend her own age.”
“Alright,” Krista agreed, “where does he live?”
“Here and there,” replied Gordon, “but I think he and his wife are heading back to Switzerland this weekend, so we’ll go with them.”
“I’ve never been there,” Krista smiled, “how exciting!”
“Yeah,” Gordon felt much better now that they had a plan in place, “now.. Where were we?”
Krista giggled as he leaned in and they started making out once more, the phone dropped softly to the carpet as their hands began to grope and squeeze various places upon one another’s body. They didn’t have to be quiet, Savannah used to wake up at the smallest of sounds but lately she simply slept like a log and was easily catching up on all that lost sleep she had missed out on due to anxiety and hunger. Krista felt giddy and excited, she adored Savannah and now she was pregnant with her own little Ramsay, something she had started to doubt would ever happen for them. She drew back and looked him in the eye, unable to hide her joy from him.
“I love you so much,” Krista touched his face, thinking back to their first encounter and hardly able to fathom just how the Hell they had ever got to this point. She felt his hand rest upon her stomach, it was barely any bigger than it normally was but it was still early days yet.
“And I love you more than words can say,” Gordon told her sincerely, “this trip to Switzerland, let’s get married while we’re there.”
Krista nodded eagerly, it was very short notice but Gordon had a private jet and could easily fly anyone there who wanted to come along. Krista had kept it low key, but she had been taking a business course during her time as a hotel cleaner and she was keen to someday own a hotel herself. Gordon had sussed her out almost immediately and with his help, she was fast becoming close to landing such a dream that she’d had for a long time. Part of her wanted to be successful and rake in the big dollars like Gordon was, but part of her just wanted a place for her friends and relatives to stay that was both comfortable and had excellent food. Gordon wouldn’t steer her wrong, he really knew his stuff and if he was stuck on something, he sourced more information from anyone who might have an idea to help him along his way.
They stood up and went to the bedroom, giggling and stripping the whole way until they were finally nude as they fell upon the bed together, kissing and groping as they had been earlier.
“Gordon,” Krista broke the kiss and squealed when he growled at her, “babe, why did you want me to take a test?”
“You’ve been growing,” Gordon told her bashfully, cupping her breasts as if weighing them, “they feel fuller and heavier. I had a hunch but I didn’t want to excite you.. “
“You always excite me,” Krista breathed, gazing heatedly into his eyes.
Gordon looked at her with that bewildered baby face of his and she smiled at him like a wildcat who was stalking her prey, something that never failed to get him on the run and she quickly straddled him, pinning his upper arms down firmly. Knowledge was power and they were safe with the knowledge that everything was going to be alright, much thanks to their rock star acquaintance. Krista began by slowly rolling her hips, going directly for the kill. Gordon uttered a short groan and half heartedly tried to get up, thrilling her when he allowed her to put him back down in his place without protest. His back arched and his eyes closed, she loved to be in control and to watch him just lay there and take it.
How she would laugh so loudly whenever she watched Hell’s Kitchen, especially when Gordon was furious and the contestants were shaking in their shoes while he screamed into their faces. If they only knew what a cuddly pushover he really was, they would probably laugh too but then that would kinda kill the whole series so unfortunately, she had to keep it under wraps whenever possible. Of course, not all of it was drawn from nowhere. She knew he had a rough time growing up and an even rougher time learning his trade, ending up crying in a corner in some kitchen before leaving to become his own boss. Gordon had a dangerous temper, she had seen the real deal for herself but thankfully, he also had a true chef’s discipline and had never actually seriously hurt anyone. He knew he was big and strong, so a fair fight it could never be with arrogant little pipsqueaks, who almost always backed down the moment they came face to chest with him. Yet here she was now, slender and petite, pinning him down and making him groan mercilessly.
“Oohh, sexy baby.. “ Krista moaned deeply, leaning down to kiss with him and grind her hips harder down until his groan was almost pleadingly high in pitch. Gordon felt flustered at her teasing, he really couldn’t stand it for long and wanted to get started but it was important for them both to be playful and flirty before anything too serious happened in bed, it was all part of the bonding experience and kept things interesting between them.
“Damn!” Gordon vented his frustrations, but Krista just smiled against his cursing lips.
“Something wrong, sweetie?” she purred, feeling his hot, throbbing member pulsing as it rested just between her thighs. She slid herself along the underside of his shaft, eliciting another set of expletives from him as she was super slick and ready for him.
“Potty mouth,” Krista scolded him gently, shrieking when he suddenly flipped her onto her back and leaned down to begin love biting her neck.
“Ohh! Oh God, no! Fuck!” Krista mock protested, this would always sting like Hell but she moaned at the eventual pleasure pain and went limp for him. Encouraged by the tension suddenly draining from her body, Gordon uttered a dominant kind of growl against her bruising flesh and Krista whimpered softly in response. She was always thrilled when their love making got animalistic, it turned her on so badly, probably because she was one of those rare few left anymore that actually found dominating males hot. And she did.
Krista found it extremely hot when Gordon was the top male in any situation, but she secretly found it exciting too when he wasn’t, though she never admitted this to him! Oh how he hated to lose! Swearing and moaning half formed words was the extent of their vocals, dirty talk wasn’t really a thing here and when they had tried it, they had ended up laughing so much that sex was the last thing they could think of doing anymore. Anything they said had to be completely spur of the moment, or else. Gordon drew back, admiring his bite.
“The mark of the beast,” Krista hissed, already feeling the throb in her neck that announced she’d be sporting the telltale bruise as early as tonight.
“I’m so fucking hard, babe.. “ Gordon’s voice was deep and low, revealing his need to have her and soon. Krista had come to know each of his tones and what they meant, making any chance of lying to her almost impossible and yet she had noticed that he’d never once even tried it on her.
“Let me kiss it better.. “ she cooed at him, scooting down to suckle-kiss the head of his erection.
“Kristaahh!” Gordon tried to scold her but ended up moaning, as she squeezed his buttocks and sucked his straining member deeper into her mouth, “ohh no.. “ She knew he wanted to be in control and he knew he’d just have to wait his turn but Gordon was not known for his patience..
“Mmmm,” Krista moaned, enjoying the taste of Gordon’s erection in her mouth, becoming easily seduced by his groans of pleasure and the feel of his strong hands resting firmly upon her shoulders.
She remembered how turned on he made her whenever she saw him get all red and fired up on the television, when he started shouting and swearing, she would imagine herself soothing him with soft touches and stolen kisses.
“It’s easy,” she would whisper softly at the screen, “just kiss him and show him who is boss.. “
It definitely worked for her at home, Gordon’s knees always turned to jelly when she kissed him but of course they couldn’t hear her and she would do it for them sometimes and felt a bit silly when her lips touched nothing but glass. Gordon would probably not calm down if the contestants suddenly started molesting him, so it was just something she said when she was in her own company and nobody was actually around to hear her. It really wasn’t fair though, she didn’t know how anyone could stand to listen to him talk without being able to touch him. Krista never failed to get excited by his voice, from the soft, sleepy tone of early morning Gordon, to the snarling expletives of Hell’s Kitchen Gordon - and every single other tone in between.
He could just talk random nonsense and she’d be ready to bed him within minutes, but what really got her going was when he was with his friends. He was so confident and relaxed, always grinning and laughing, playing around and just being so normal. It always made her smile and feel so much at ease, as if the world was perfect and nothing was ever wrong.
“Babe?” Gordon’s voice startled her and she looked up into his questioning blue eyes, “is something wrong?”
Krista hadn’t realized she’d stopped, she blushed and smiled up at him bashfully.
“I was just daydreaming about you,” she admitted softly.
“You don’t need to daydream,” Gordon laughed gently at her, “I’m right here, darling.. I don’t know, two years together and you’re still bloody fangirling!”
Krista looked at him and dropped her jaw, then she bit her bottom lip and smacked his bare butt.
“Hey!” Gordon jumped, laughing again, “watch the merchandise!”
“I think I can afford it,” Krista giggled.
“Cheeky monkey,” Gordon growled, eliciting another giggle-squeal from her as he grabbed her and started to kiss her belly.
“Gordon!” Krista couldn’t stop laughing, she was very ticklish there, “Gordon! Stop!”
Her giggles soon turned into soft moans, as his kisses extended down past her navel and his tongue flicked out to begin teasing her sensitive folds that were slick and warm. Her fingers ran through his hair, unable to resist his relentless licking and suckling, she leaned back and relaxed her thighs wide open for him. Gordon stopped at that moment and leaned up to kiss at her neck, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and encouraged his eagerness to make love with her, arching her back in pleasure as he entered her immediately. She heard a soft groan come from him that she didn’t recognize, it sounded like a sigh but a puzzled one.
“Does it feel different now?” Krista asked softly.
“Yeah,” Gordon still sounded taken by surprise, “but.. in a good way.”
Krista was relieved and she closed her eyes, pulling him down closer so she could make out with him. She clung to him tightly, thrusting with him and not letting him go so that even if he stood up and walked out of the room, she’d still be hanging there with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Gordon broke the kiss and started to breathe heavily, Krista was shorter than him so she easily reached his chest with her lips and began to tease her tongue in tight circles around his nipples. He swore and she felt him throb inside of her, he came undone so quickly when she teased him, no matter how much control he thought he had over her at any given time. In an unexpected move, he grasped her breast and gave it a squeeze, reaching down with one hand to try and retaliate against her attack on his sensitive chest. Krista whined softly, feeling his fingertips pinch her nipple, which was extra sensitive now but he was quite gentle, as if he knew without her even mentioning it.
“Ohh.. “ Gordon groaned deeply, he knew it would get to her and it did, she couldn’t ever hear him groan without getting excited, “uhhuuhh!”
Krista swore this time, abandoning his chest and diving up for his mouth, quelling his moans by stifling them with her kisses. He shifted a little so that as he thrust in and out of her, their bodies would grind together and Krista felt her sensitive nub begin to tingle as the friction upon it now was sending her into the starting stages of climax. He sped up and she tightened her thighs around him, suddenly pushing him down onto his back and riding him hard as she suddenly came with a loud, long moan, her body convulsing and her inner walls clamping firmly around his rigid erection. He was so close but stubbornly holding it back, able to last all night if he really wanted to. Krista slowed down as she slowly calmed herself, his eyes flew open and she smiled knowingly at him, he couldn’t take such a slow and deliberate pace and they both knew it.
“No, no.. Don’t slow down!” Gordon urged her.
“Easy baby.. “ Krista spoke to him softly, “just relax.. “
“Krista.. “ Gordon lay his head back down, “babe, please.. “
He reached for her hips, but she took hold of his wrists and pinned them down, grinding herself against him in circular motions.
“I love it when you beg, baby,” Krista whispered softly to him again.
He was coming undone now, groaning and trying to pull his hands free. Krista started to feel tingly again and began to speed up, reaching her second climax as Gordon was finally coaxed into release. His long, powerful spurts felt so good deep inside of her, his hot, throbbing shaft filling her with every drop of his surrender. He looked a little pouty when she next gazed upon him and she smiled, teasing her fingertips over his lips.
“You never let me win,” he said to her.
“Oh you could if you really wanted to!” Krista spoke knowingly.
Gordon put his arm around her as she snuggled up into him.
“I suppose I could,” he agreed, “since I’m so much stronger than you.”
Krista lifted her brow at him.
“You might be stronger,” Krista said softly, “but even the armor-skinned dragon has a soft underbelly.. “
She kissed at his chest and he hummed in response, proving her point and he smiled down at her. Krista gazed into his eyes. They looked at her so lovingly and she was mesmerized by them but Gordon was also entranced by hers and neither of them could look away for a long time until they kissed and settled in for some rest and lots of cuddles and they talked about what they’d name the new baby. Krista wanted to name the baby after Gordon, if it was a boy but Gordon said he would need to think about it first. His father’s name was Gordon James, just like him and it was a sensitive subject that he really didn’t enjoy to dwell upon.
*
The morning of the trip was slightly a hectic one, David phoned at around five in the A.M and it took him several minutes to get any sense out of the still half asleep chef, who at one point was holding his phone upside down and facing the wrong way. Krista groaned as Gordon prodded her, urging her to get up so they could have plenty of time to shower and get everything out to the car. Reminding him they had done everything the night before, Krista lured him back down into the bed for a snooze.
Woken some time later by the doorbell, Gordon sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. Krista was up perhaps a half hour ago, getting Savannah ready and ensuring the house was locked up tight. She was a little bit nervous to answer the door, because she hadn’t actually met David in person yet and she was scared! Not like he’d hurt her scared, but the fact that he was a big star scared. Tentatively, she pulled open the door and was met with a very cheeky smile that faded only slightly, she knew he would have expected Gordon to answer the door.
“Krista, hello!” David grinned at her anyway, reaching up to tickle Savannah’s chin, “she’s grown so much!”
“Hi David,” Krista loved how casual he was and not as awkward as she thought he might be around someone he didn’t know very well, “Iman, Lexie.. Come in!”
“Thanks,” David accepted and wandered inside, vanishing almost immediately. Iman carried Lexie inside, following Krista to the living room. They set the two girls down onto the floor to meet each other and looked at one another curiously.
“We haven’t met before,” Krista said impishly, “but I have heard so much about you.”
“It is a pleasure to finally meet Gordon’s family,” Iman smiled easily back at her and Krista relaxed, “I’m not well acquainted with him but David seems to like him and I trust his judge of character.”
“Well hopefully we can all get to know each other better in Switzerland,” Krista said confidently, “why are you going there?”
“We live there,” Iman replied, looking down at the two toddlers and smiling as they interacted favorably, “and David wants to ski soon before the snow melts.”
“I didn’t know you guys could ski,” Krista smiled broadly, “oh I cannot imagine Gordon.. “
Iman laughed along with her and Krista felt that she’d known the woman for years in just a matter of minutes. She was like this with all of Gordon’s friends, pretty much, he had such an innate sense of who was worth talking to and not one of the people he’d introduced her to had disappointed her yet.
“Is David alright?” Krista looked around, “he just sort of vanished.”
“Oh he’s fine,” Iman laughed gently, “he’ll be getting Gordon out of bed.” Iman wanted to add something humorous, like ‘usually he’d be trying to get Gordon INTO bed’ but she decided that perhaps it was too soon for such tongue-in-cheek giggles just yet.
“Ugh good luck with that!” Krista laughed as well, “he’s just in his boxers!”
Iman and Krista had to laugh quite a lot at the thought, then Krista offered Iman coffee and they sat down to wait for their boys to make an appearance.
When David wandered into the bedroom, Gordon was sitting up and leaning back against the head of the bed with his eyes half open.
“Hey!” Gordon suddenly opened his eyes wide, “get out of here!”
David looked at him with a shrug.
“It’s time to go, son,” David referred to him by the pet name he’d given the blue eyed chef, “up and at ‘em, come on.. “
It was the only nickname that David used that Gordon didn’t mind, the others just annoyed him and David only used them when he wanted a reaction out of him. It was also quite fitting, because Gordon liked to imagine David as a sort of father figure, since he didn't really have a decent one to look up to and everyone else he'd tried to idolize as such had only used and disappointed him. David hadn't ever judged him, or scolded him for calling late in the night to unload.
They had lost contact for a while during the recession, Gordon knew that David would have offered his home and anything else to him until he got back on his feet again but Gordon didn't want that. He knew David would not have even thought twice about it, though somehow it just didn't feel right to Gordon, to just drop in and live in someone else's house. Maybe if David was on his own, that might have been alright but he had a wife and child now, a family. It would have been awkward, or so Gordon had thought at the time. The truth was though, nothing was ever further from the truth, David and his little family always made people most welcome and would never let anyone feel uncomfortable around them if they could help it.
Gordon sighed and wished he hadn’t stayed up so late now, but he had to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything.
“I couldn’t get to sleep right away last night,” Gordon admitted, “I kept thinking Erica would do something.. “
David sat down next to him on the edge of the bed, looking at Gordon’s hands that now rested in his lap.
“She can’t do much,” David reassured Gordon, “from what you’ve told me, she doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on.”
Gordon’s eyes met with David’s now, a silent conversation happened between them, or so it would have seemed to an observer. Gordon was clearly worried more about what David had heard down at the bar and grill a few days ago, David was confident that nothing would come of it and it showed in his tight lipped smile.
“Alright,” Gordon finally spoke again, “hey, this is supposed to be fun, yeah?”
“Exactly,” David stood up and headed for the door, “chin up, son. It’ll all work out.”
Gordon nodded and David left him to get dressed, which Gordon appreciated because he was sporting his usual early-morning-boner and really wasn’t in the mood for smirks and glinting eyes. He pulled on his jeans and looked amused at the thought, because he knew David would never actually do anything like that. He might flirt and talk the talk but in the end, the age difference was a thing and David preferred the company of his wife anyway. He had behaved himself really well since marrying Iman, never once cheating on her. Now that was a strong marriage, Gordon could only hope that his own would last just as long and would remain just as intact as David and Iman’s was.
He put on a shirt, grabbed his jacket and went out into the living room. Lexie and Savannah were sitting together, eating some apple slices and bits of banana.
“They look happy enough,” Gordon smiled, greeting Iman with a soft kiss to both of her cheeks, "how are you, my darling?”
“I’m fine thank you, Gordon,” Iman beamed at him.
“Are we all ready to go then?” Gordon wondered.
“I should think so,” David mused playfully, “your wife’s been running around like crazy.”
“I thought we did everything last night?” Gordon looked around at Krista, who was carrying a nappy bag and her knees bent under it’s weight. He took it from her and slung it over his shoulder and Krista sighed, thanking him quietly.
“I forgot to pack Savannah’s things,” Krista told him, “are we going to be late?”
“Nah,” David laughed, “we’ve got plenty of time.”
“He’s just being polite,” Iman spoke sternly but more at David than anyone else, “we really should be leaving now.”
David smiled, looking like a puppy who had just been scolded and was trying to see if it’s master was permissible for a hug of apology. Krista giggled softly, picking up Savannah and following Iman outside. David scooped up Lexie, walking with Gordon out to their cars to load up and settle in for the drive to the docks. David was not a fan of flying, Iman revealed, so they would be taking an ocean cruise to Switzerland rather than a quick flight.
“Oh, that’s fine,” Krista smiled, “I’ve never done that before!”
“God, where’d you find this one, Gordon?” David frowned amusedly, “behind bars?”
“Not funny,” Gordon warned him.
“Oh lighten up, babe,” Krista kissed his cheek and hugged Gordon tightly, “actually David, I never really got out much because.. Well, I.. “ She was embarrassed to say she couldn’t afford it, she didn’t want the subject of marrying Gordon for his money to come up.
“S’alright love,” David spared her, “we’ve all been there.”
Krista nodded and tried hard not to let her eyes sting with tears of gratitude that they all understood. Iman, David and Gordon had each individually been there, all of them had their story of poverty and had somehow managed to make something of their lives in the end. She hoped to follow suit, rather than riding on Gordon’s coattails for the rest of her life. They all got into the cars and headed off, Krista looked at Gordon as he drove and he was grinning.
“What’s so funny?” she wondered.
“I can’t imagine driving with that man,” Gordon told her, knowing David would've been fiddling with the music player and driving him crazy.
“This is really fun though,” Krista giggled, “I had no idea they were so easy going, I figured they’d be totally snobbish.” Krista sat back and closed her eyes for a while, smiling.
“Lexie! Lexie!” Savannah cried out.
“Soon honey,” Gordon reassured her with a grin.
“Yeeaahh!” Savannah cheered, “Lexie!”
Krista exhaled and relaxed, they hadn’t really made a friendship like this before, with another couple and a child, she sincerely hoped it worked out because it was lonely sometimes and she missed her fun times with her ex-best-friend, Jazi. Perhaps this getaway was the break they needed, far away from the troubles they were having with Erica and just enjoying spending time with friends. Krista began to feel happy and giddy all over again, reminding herself that by the end of the little vacation, she was going to be finally married to the love of her life.
She opened her eyes and looked at Gordon again, his eyes were bright and he wore a smile on his handsome face. That was all it took for Krista to completely just let go and look forward to the trip, nothing was going to get her down, she simply wouldn’t let it happen.
Traveling in style was certainly something David had perfected, Krista couldn’t believe she was on a ship, it looked more like a luxury resort! She was soon sunbathing alongside Iman, Krista felt a little lumpy compared to the Somalian beauty but Iman was a supermodel, it was her job to look that amazing, so Krista tried not to let it disturb her self confidence. Gordon and David were keeping the little ones entertained, they were quite safe on such an expensive liner because not everybody could afford such a luxury and those who could, generally kept to themselves. The deck they were on, was for children and the two men sat down together to keep an eye on their daughters and just catch up on what they’d each been doing and what they planned to do in the near future.
“When you get back to the states,” David told Gordon, “if I were you, I’d get some legal advice and follow it through. I’ll come with you and make a statement if need be, you and your family deserve to feel safe.”
“That’s a very good idea,” Gordon nodded, “I shouldn’t have left it alone, but I just wanted to have my daughter and enjoy her peacefully without all the media hounds on our backs.”
“Yes,” David frowned, “that is going to be an issue for you, they’ll get wind of it for sure. Still, it’s a small price to pay for some peace of mind.”
“True,” Gordon leaned back and sighed, “I wanted to keep her out of the papers but I guess it was going to happen sooner or later.”
“It’ll blow over soon enough,” David reassured him, “and you probably don’t want to hear this but if somebody does end up trying to take her, a lot more people will know her little face and that just makes it harder to get away with such an attempt.”
Gordon nodded, it made a lot of sense and he was always very thankful for David’s pearls of wisdom whenever they were offered to him.
“I really wish you would have contacted me two years ago,” David spoke a little quieter now.
“I’m sorry,” Gordon lowered his voice as well, “I know I should have and I realize I may have hurt you.”
“Yeah, you did,” David said ruefully, “but you know what? I get it.”
“You do?” Gordon wondered.
“You’re a proud and stubborn man, Gordon,” David teased him a little, “I wouldn’t have thought twice about dropping in on you if I were in trouble.”
Gordon laughed, it was true though, sometimes he could be quite proud and stubborn.
“You’ve got a family now, David,” Gordon pointed out, “I didn’t want to upset things for you if your wife didn’t agree.”
David thought about it and nodded, if Iman had not agreed to let Gordon stay then it might have caused them to fight. They had the odd argument here and there, who didn’t? But they always found some common ground and compromised to make it better, rather than let it stew and fester for weeks on end.
“Perhaps it was none of my business,” David said with a twisted sort of grin, “but if it ever happens again, I’ll make it my business, got it?”
“Trust me, it’s not going to happen again,” Gordon reassured him, “I’ve learnt my lesson well. I’ve even got a trust fund for Savannah and everything.”
“Good, good.. “ David approved, standing up, “why don’t we get these girls fed and see what our wives are up to?”
“Yeah alright,” Gordon couldn’t believe it was nearly time for dinner, “what’s on for tonight?”
“I’ve got some things to do in the cabin,” David replied, “it’s important for me to get it finished.”
“You want some peace and quiet then?” Gordon wondered.
“Yeah,” David picked up Lexi, “it shouldn’t take too long though.”
“Oh good,” Gordon scooped up Savannah before she could make a run for the slide, “you can watch the girls while the rest of us go out and enjoy ourselves.”
David laughed and Gordon grinned at him.
“You do know there’s a supervised area for toddlers, right?” David asked.
“I did not know that,” Gordon replied, “is it safe?”
“It is quite safe, yes,” David replied, “I’ve used it once or twice myself. There’s only children under the age of four and Lexi never wants to leave when I come back to get her.”
“You don’t feel guilty just leaving her there?” Gordon wondered.
“No, well, I did at first,” David admitted, “but it’s all very secure and the kids just love it. There’s food and drink, they give you a buzz if you prefer to change the diaper yourself when it needs doing.”
“Sounds alright,” Gordon nodded, “I trust you, perhaps we can drop the girls off later and do something on the adults only deck?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” David winked at him cheekily.
“With our wives,” Gordon said firmly, though he smirked a little.
“Of course,” David acted innocent, “whatever did you think I meant?”
They continued on to the buffet deck to find something for the girls to eat, planning dinner and wine with Iman and Krista this evening, after they ensured that Lexi and Savannah were safe in the toddler’s area under the watchful supervision of well vetted, highly qualified professionals.
Gordon and David took their little ones to the buffet area, loading up a couple of plates for them and David had to smile when Gordon kept asking how fresh the fruit was and the way he poked and sniffed at the seafood carefully.
“You can take the chef out of the kitchen,” David mused.
“Oh stop,” Gordon laughed, “it’s important to watch what goes into your child’s mouth.” David shrugged and sat Lexi down next to Savannah, securing them into their little chairs.
“Everything goes into their mouths,” David set Lexi’s bowl down in front of her.
“Suppose all we can do is make sure everything’s clean,” Gordon commented.
“Did you ever think you’d be a dad?” David wondered, browsing over the table.
“I wanted it,” Gordon admitted, “I honestly thought Gertie and I would have had a few together.” David said nothing, he figured that subject was best left alone because he didn’t have anything nice to say about that woman at all.
“What about you?” Gordon asked.
“Not as early as I did the first time around, no,” David admitted, “I wouldn’t have changed it for the world, though. It wasn’t easy raising him alone but he’s a good lad, I don’t regret it.” Gordon nodded, it really had been unlucky that those two had gone as far as bringing a child into the world before their messy break up happened, but David had a best friend in his son and Duncan was probably the main reason David finally decided to get away from the drugs.
“Lexi is our little miracle,” David smiled down at her so lovingly, “we tried for seven years to no avail and then, there she was. Just one year shy of menopause.”
“Fuck,” Gordon swore softly, “that was lucky.. “
“Yeah,” David pursed his lips and fell silent, he’d wanted more but he was content with his little girl. Gordon sensed the desire for a subject change, so he pushed aside the urge to mention Krista’s pregnancy for now.
“So what’s it like at home now?” Gordon asked him, “do you have any time for yourself?”
“Not at first,” David replied, “but I learned to juggle everything in the end.”
“So you’re really hands on?” Gordon wondered.
“Everything but diapers,” David grimaced.
“Same,” Gordon laughed, sitting down with the girls and David sat next to him.
“They really like each other,” David commented. Lexi and Savannah were eating their dinner together, each watching what the other was picking up and trying to copy, ending up in giggles and lots of mess everywhere.
*
Iman and Krista had left the sunbathing deck chairs once the sky had turned into a pinkish sunset, they made their way back to their cabin and got dressed, before heading up to find their husbands and children. Soon the two families were all seated at the same table and it felt so relaxed and calm, free of tension and fear. Krista kept stroking Gordon’s inner thighs with her foot, keen to get him going and enjoying his flushed cheeks as he tried to remain focused on the conversation they were all having about the cruise ship and what other things they’d each like to do before they arrived in Switzerland.
“So I’m curious,” Krista smiled adoringly at the two men, “how did you two meet?” They didn’t seem the likeliest of friends but they definitely made it work somehow.
“Oh, you know,” David’s eyes lit up the way they always did when he was getting himself into mischief, “I asked Iman to recommend the worst restaurant in town.”
“Hey!” Gordon lifted a brow, “what was that?”
“Let me finish,” David looked extremely amused and Iman was suppressing a giggle, “so we went there and we found a film crew standing around.. “
“Wait, why did you want to visit the worst place in town?” Krista wondered.
“Sitting right here!” Gordon looked very unamused indeed.
“Oh stop it, David,” Iman said gently but firmly, “tell her the truth!” David laughed quietly and sat back, nodding and looking a little bashful.
“Alright, alright,” David relented, “we met at the farmer’s market out by the docks, I was looking for something different to make for dinner and Gordon recommended the striped bass.” Krista loved Gordon’s striped bass, it was simply divine.
“I was looking for a decent salmon but I never did find it,” Gordon added, “you were looking a bit lost, so I thought I’d help you out.”
“Did you know who he was?” Iman asked with a smile.
“Yeah,” Gordon nodded, “yeah I did, it was intense.”
“I had no clue who Gordon was at the time,” David grinned, “he was just some young, know it all punk for all I knew.”
“So what happened?” Krista asked, fascinated by the tale.
“We tried the bass,” Iman replied now, “David made it just the way Gordon had instructed him and it was delicious!”
“I went back again the next day,” David added, “we exchanged numbers and that’s pretty much it.”
“I wasn’t going to go back there,” Gordon revealed.
“Then why did you?” Krista asked him, amazed at how funny fate could be sometimes.
“I admit I was a little starstruck,” Gordon suddenly blushed and grinned, “I was just hoping to see David again, actually.”
“Rubbish,” David spoke with a knowing, yet cheeky sort of grin of his own, “you just wanted to ask me how the bass was.”
“That sounds like Gordon,” Krista had to laugh heartily and Gordon sat back to fold his arms in bemusement but he eventually saw the funny side of it and they all settled back into a nice dinner together.
Afterwards, David went to do some work in the cabin while Lexi and Savannah napped in the bed nearby. Iman, Krista and Gordon went up to the adults only deck to grab a few drinks and wait for David to join them.
“Doesn’t it bother you that he’s working when he is supposed to be enjoying himself?” Krista asked Iman.
“David enjoys himself no matter what he does,” Iman smiled casually at her, “otherwise, he simply wouldn’t do it.”
“He sounds so spoilt,” Krista giggled, “but then I guess that’s a pretty good way to live, only doing the things that you enjoy.” Iman nodded, her gaze flicking to Gordon.
“He is rather spoilt,” Iman agreed, “but he deserves to be happy. We all do.” Krista followed Iman’s gaze and she had to grin at her future husband, who was standing over by the barbeque area, beer in hand and joking with the other men about being allergic to vegetarians.
“If those guys weren’t laughing so hard,” Krista shook her head, “I’d have to drag him away from there!”
“Oh, don’t even get me started!” Iman’s eyes grew wide, “David has a wicked sense of humor but sometimes he gets a little too friendly and I often have to distract him away before someone tries to punch him.”
“Does he often flirt with other people?” Krista wondered, worried that Gordon might be the same way whenever he was not with her.
“He doesn’t mean to,” Iman replied, “he’s just so damned charming, it comes off as flirting sometimes.”
“I see,” Krista was more worried now, what if someone thought Gordon was flirting and tried something with him?
“You seem upset,” Iman noticed.
“I’m not used to being with a famous person,” Krista admitted, “Gordon wasn’t that big of a deal when we first met. In fact, he was a real mess.. ”
“That makes your relationship with him all the more special,” Iman beamed proudly at her, “he must know that you love him unconditionally then.”
“Oh I do,” Krista looked over at him with doe eyes, “I really do.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Iman said to her firmly, “he would be a fool to risk losing you and from what David says about him, Gordon Ramsay is no fool.” Krista smiled, relaxing and taking a sip of her drink.
“You know, David wasn’t exactly my first choice when we first met,” Iman admitted, “but he grew on me. I got to know the real man behind the stage persona and he won me over. I tried to not worry about other people trying to turn his head, he makes it so easy for me when we are together but like you, I did get a little paranoid whenever we were apart.”
“How did you stop being so wary?” Krista wondered, eyeing some women suspiciously as they wandered over to the barbeque area and joined the men there.
“Trust,” Iman replied simply, “I just trust David to make the right decision whenever the situation arises. I know it happens, it is unavoidable and he enjoys flirting back and forth and that is okay, it’s just part of who he is. I know there’s nothing meaningful behind it and he has given up drinking anything more than a glass of wine here and there.”
“I wish I could be so sure with Gordon,” Krista said softly, “he’s such a confident, athletic, outgoing, easy to talk to guy.. I often wonder what the hell someone like him is even doing with a nobody like me.. “
“You’re more than somebody to him,” David had wandered over by now, “you saved his life.”
“I caught him on the rebound,” Krista doubted herself.
“No,” Iman insisted now, “I have seen the way he looks at you, Krista, there isn’t an ounce of regret in his eyes at all. David looks at me in much the same way, don’t you darling?” David smiled at her and Krista saw the way he looked at Iman, as if he really couldn’t help doing it and she found it simply adorable.
“You two are just disgustingly sweet,” Krista scrunched up her nose and grinned, “you really see Gordon looking at me that way?”
“I do,” Iman nodded, “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed it!”
Krista looked over at Gordon and he suddenly seemed to sense her eyes upon him, glancing back at her and offering her a pleased grin. Krista’s breath caught in her throat, it was subtle probably because he was with other guys standing around being all manly and shit but it was definitely there, the look she’d been missing due to her lack of self confidence.
“See?” Iman smiled knowingly, as David began to kiss her neck languidly, “I told you so-oohh.. “
Krista blushed and averted her gaze, her heart thumping madly and nothing could wipe the silly grin from her face just now. He loved her, like truly loved her, the way she loved him! She could not have been more relieved and so happy, the giddy feeling of getting to marry him soon suddenly returning to make her want to start jumping up and down, squealing in excitement.
Krista turned back to Iman as David wandered over to join Gordon at the barbeque gathering, keen to get some steak sandwiches to bring back, so Iman was heading over to claim a table for them all.
“I wish I could stop Gordon from drinking so much,” Krista admitted, sitting down near Iman at their table, “he doesn’t drink half as much as he did when we first met but he still gets drunk from time to time.”
“He’s still quite young though,” Iman spoke in a permitting tone of voice, “he doesn’t hurt you, does he?”
“Oh no,” Krista blushed suddenly, “Gordon’s not an angry drunk, it just makes him very sleepy.”
“David got very aroused when he drank too much,” Iman grinned amusedly, “those days are long over by now but he hasn’t lost his passion for me at all.” Krista giggled.
“I noticed!” she exclaimed, “aww, but it’s so adorable.. “
It was cute to watch how different the two men were socially, David liked to casually blend in amongst the group, while Gordon preferred to lead the conversation and make sure he was being noticed. David was quite over being the center of attention during his touring days, taking a break from big crowds and screaming fans was perfectly ideal to him at the moment, but he’d eventually crave the attention again and go on another tour. Until then, he was perfectly happy to just be ‘one of the guys’. Gordon could never get enough attention, he was still eager to please and enjoyed putting good food onto people’s plates, reveling in the happy smiles and satisfied hums of delight they gave him in return.
“What is so fascinating over there?” Iman wondered aloud, looking again over at the gathering at the barbeque area, “oh no.. “
Krista glanced up and over, stifling a giggle as Gordon was taking over at the grill.
“Should I go and.. “ Krista began, when suddenly she saw David flipping some burgers alongside him, “oh dear Lord.. “
“You just can’t take them anywhere,” Iman sighed, biting back a smile.
It turned out to be a very pleasant evening, with people complimenting the change in the barbequed food, remarking on how they used to call it the ‘char grill’ before tonight. Krista’s favorite part was the dancing and meeting some new people who Gordon had introduced her to. Then they went and got the girls from the toddler’s area, put them to bed and bid one another goodnight. David and Iman went to their room, while Krista and Gordon slipped quietly into theirs. Savannah and Lexi were in the main area, safely sound asleep in their portable cribs. Krista turned and watched Gordon strip down to his briefs and get into the bed, his eyes half closed and his breathing slow.
“How many did you have tonight?” she asked him, trying to keep her voice light but he saw through it.
“Only fi-five or six,” he said stiffly, a furrow to his brow revealing his disinterest in being scolded right now.
Krista sighed and got into the bed alongside him, there was no use in fighting with him if he wasn’t even going to remember it the next day. Gordon pulled her into his embrace and closed his eyes, Krista snuggled up into his bare chest and smiled as her eyes closed as well, they could talk about this another time. She hated to argue with him, he always got so defensive and just a little frightening, even though she knew he’d never lift a finger against her, she couldn’t help thinking back to episodes of Hell’s Kitchen and flinching when his eyes got fierce. The funny thing was, Gordon never actually shouted at Krista. He raised his voice only very slightly when he got angry or wanted to be heard, but he never once had ever shouted at her.
Gordon never would, he respected her far too much to put her through that and he preferred to make people laugh rather than cringe. Having a good time, that’s what life was all about but he was quite sensitive about his business and that’s when he got very serious indeed. He didn’t like being made a fool of, so when he promised his diners something and the chefs in training couldn’t deliver, it got on his nerves quite badly. He was an assertive and confident man, but deep, deep down there was always going to be that lost side of him, terrified of ending up all alone and not a penny to his name. It was going to take a long time for that fear to subside, though eventually Krista would ease it away with her open loyalty towards him and their little family unit. As much as he made her feel safe and secure, Gordon had to admit that she was making him feel safe too, but in a different way. They really connected when they came together, like two pieces of a puzzle that had been finally matched up.
Krista hoped that Gordon wouldn’t be too sick tomorrow, with the hangover he was likely going to experience, along with the rocking of the ship itself, it couldn’t make for a very comfortable combination for him.
*
By the time they arrived in Switzerland, the bonds between each of them could not have been stronger. Lexi and Savannah had become fast friends, behaving more like close sisters. This was exactly what Krista had hoped would happen, because Savannah had no friends her own age to really connect with. Savannah had also stopped panicking when in the presence of Iman or David, quickly figuring out that they wouldn’t hurt her and beginning to show them some trust. She was still nervous around most other adults, but Gordon was hoping that she would at least behave calmly and just stick close to someone she knew and trusted, rather than draw attention to herself and scream bloody murder.
Iman, Gordon, Krista and David had all become quite close by now as well, it was an essential step to spending some weeks together in the same house. Krista still felt like the odd one out though, nobody ever swamped around her for autographs and photos like they did with the other three. Sometimes she was glad of it because it looked really annoying, but other times she did feel a little left out. Of course the feeling never really lasted, because Gordon would never be sidetracked by his fans for long before he started looking around and trying to locate Krista. He would pull her close to him, or ensure that they never stopped holding hands so that they wouldn’t get accidentally split up amidst the larger crowds.
That he thought about her even when he was being praised and admired was a real boost for Krista’s confidence in their relationship and she told Iman as much during a conversation that first night. Gordon was cooking dinner for everyone and David was ‘helping’ him, so that left the two women to talk about things and of course they had to bring up the subject of their significant others eventually.
“David is lost without me, too,” Iman smiled as she boasted and Krista giggled, “but you know, we were walking together down the street and the laces of my trainers came undone, so he just stops, gets down and ties them up for me! I never asked him to and he’s always doing things like that, he takes good care of me.”
Krista beamed happily, it was so good to hear the similarities between Gordon and David.
“We sure struck the jackpot,” Krista mused.
“As did they,” Iman said firmly, “we might be lucky to have them but they are equally as lucky to have us!”
Krista was not as self confident as Iman, she figured Gordon could easily attract another woman into his life but perhaps as Iman was suggesting, this new woman would be all wrong for him.
“You’re such a strong and confident woman,” Krista admired the supermodel.
“I have been through a lot,” Iman admitted, “I had to learn things the hard way.”
Krista nodded and they both glanced up as David appeared in the doorway.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” he told them, smiling at Iman like a lovesick puppy.
“Alright darling,” Iman smiled back at him, “we’re coming.”
David took the hint and went back to help set the table, Iman turned back to Krista and sighed happily.
“It’s so nice to have someone to talk to like this,” Iman said, picking up Lexi from the rug on the floor, “most of my friends haven’t even thought about getting married yet.”
“Oh, same,” Krista related to her problem, picking up Savannah, “sometimes Gordon is just too much and I want to gush to somebody about him but.. “
Iman smiled knowingly.
“But there is only him and you don’t want to make him feel all embarrassed like some crazy fan,” Iman knew what Krista was trying to say.
“Exactly,” Krista felt relieved that she understood.
“You know,” Iman tried not to laugh, “Gordon does just exactly that, but don’t tell him I told you.”
Krista couldn’t believe that Gordon would be gushing about her, she was nothing special.
“He talks about me to you?” Krista lifted a brow.
“Not to me,” Iman replied, heading for the dining room, “to David.”
Krista blushed hotly.
“David tells you?” she wondered.
“We have no secrets,” Iman nodded, “but don’t worry, it goes no further.”
Krista wasn’t worried about good things going around about her, she was more just curious as to what kinds of things Gordon had specifically said. They all sat down to eat and David sat up straight, looking like he wanted to say something.
“Before we eat,” David said with a grin, “why don’t we each say something we’re grateful for?”
He picked up his glass and held it in towards the middle of the table.
“I’m grateful for nights that turned into mornings,” David started them off.
“Friends that turned into family,” Gordon held his glass up to join with David’s.
Krista held hers up too.
“Dreams that turned into reality,” she smiled.
Iman held hers up last, looking pointedly at her husband.
“Likes that turned into love,” she said firmly.
They each took a sip of their drinks and the dinner was amazing, as always, with small giggles as David kept pointing out all the bits he had done to help.
Just after dinner, Krista and Gordon let it slip that they planned to be married very shortly. Krista also unexpectedly announced her pregnancy, which made Gordon tense up a little and flick his uncertain gaze to David, but his friend was just as excited to learn of the new baby as Iman. Upon realizing there was no upset, Gordon was able to relax and enjoy the happy atmosphere that the trip was supposed to have been all about in the first place. The girls went to bed early, tired from the trip and they slept in the same room comfortably. The adults went outside to sit on the back patio, the women chatted and giggled as the men decided to play around with an old football Gordon found laying around in the garden. A few of their close friends and neighbors came to see them, some noticing their lights were on while others had been following them online.
It turned into quite a fun filled evening, but Krista was glad to finally lay down in bed and close her eyes that night. She wore a huge grin on her face, it just wouldn’t go away and she didn’t want it to, either. She opened her eyes when she felt Gordon get into the bed beside her, turning her head to gaze at him affectionately. She could smell the beer on his breath but it was a comforting kind of scent, he was always very friendly and sleepy when he drank and Krista felt lucky that she got to be with someone who abhorred violence like Gordon did. Not even if he was blind, staggering drunk, he would never intentionally hurt someone. He never went that far though, the moment he started to feel tired he put down his drink and left it alone.
“I feel like it’s all just too good to be true,” Krista said softly, as he pulled the duvet up over them and tossed his shorts onto the floor. Gordon turned towards her and pulled her into his embrace, she enjoyed the feel of his naked flesh against hers and sighed in content.
“Mmm, get used to it darling,” he slurred tiredly, eyes closing, “it’s only going to get better.. “
She smiled at him, his accent broken and almost hard for her to understand.
“I love you so much,” she said softly, kissing the tip of his nose but he just parted his lips and snored quietly.
Krista snuggled down into his chest and closed her eyes, she was still smiling when the sun filtered in through the window and woke her out of her restful sleep. Gordon was still out of it, so she got out of the bed carefully and crept downstairs to set the coffee machine going but David was already in the kitchen and the coffee was ready to pour by the time Krista got there.
“Morning,” Krista smiled at him. David, who was reading the paper, startled and set the paper down onto the counter. He hadn’t heard her come in or noticed that the coffee was ready, he’d been too interested in the news.
“Good Morning,” he responded with a cheerful grin, “coffee?”
“I shouldn’t,” Krista rubbed her belly and David nodded.
“I’ll get you some juice,” he suggested happily.
Krista thanked him and sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter, pulling the newspaper towards herself and opening it up to browse through it.
“How long have you been up?” Krista wondered.
“Couple of hours,” David replied casually, “did you sleep well enough?”
“Like a log, thank you,” Krista smiled at him and accepted the tall glass of juice he offered to her.
“Good,” David nodded, making himself and Iman some coffee, “I’m really glad to hear that.”
Krista watched him take the two mugs of coffee away and she figured he and Iman were going to have a lazy morning in bed today and why not? It would be such a lovely start to the day, the children were still asleep and it was early enough for an hour or two of extra snooze time. Krista took her juice and the paper, it was freezing outside but the house was easily temperate inside and she wanted to cuddle up to Gordon some more before they started the day.
Walking past David and Iman’s bedroom, Krista heard sexual moans coming from behind the door, so she blushed and quickly went upstairs to get into bed next to her sleeping chef. He was still all warm and cozy, so she shifted closer to him to get herself warm again after being up and out of bed for a while. She had a busy day planned, they had already invited many people to the wedding, now they just needed to finalize everything and ensure that they hadn’t missed anyone or overlooked anything important. She opened the newspaper again, but it was not in English, so she just looked at the pictures for a while and tried to guess what the stories were about.
Giving up after a while, she grabbed up her phone and went online to see what was happening in the news this morning. She browsed for a while and then she felt her heart drop into her gut, as a headline struck her into a brief moment of complete body and mind paralysis. It read: Gordon Ramsay raped me and stole my baby! Krista’s hands trembled as she unwillingly read the piece, her eyes growing wider and her heart pumping quickly as she got to the end and saw a picture of Erica there. She was being consoled by her boyfriend and looked to be in tears, the fake bitch..
“Mmph, no.. “ Gordon mumbled in his sleep, furrowing his brow restlessly, “don’t fry it, David.. “
Krista would have smiled at him if she wasn’t in a state of shock and near panic, this was not what he needed right now and she had half a mind to hide it from him at any cost.
****
(page 6: http://luv-bowie-luver.livejournal.com/54136.html)
***
*
“What are we going to do?” Krista asked softly, after Gordon was done talking to David.
“I don’t know yet,” he responded hesitantly, “but we can’t stay here. We’ll have to go somewhere else for a few weeks.”
“But she knows every place you live,” Krista reminded him.
“You heard David, we could stay at his place,” Gordon said eagerly, “come on, it’ll be fun. He’s got a little girl that Savannah can play with.”
“Well.. “ Krista fidgeted nervously, “I mean, as long as he said it was okay.”
“He did, babe,” Gordon reassured her, “David doesn’t say things unless he really means them and besides, it’ll do Savannah good to have a friend her own age.”
“Alright,” Krista agreed, “where does he live?”
“Here and there,” replied Gordon, “but I think he and his wife are heading back to Switzerland this weekend, so we’ll go with them.”
“I’ve never been there,” Krista smiled, “how exciting!”
“Yeah,” Gordon felt much better now that they had a plan in place, “now.. Where were we?”
Krista giggled as he leaned in and they started making out once more, the phone dropped softly to the carpet as their hands began to grope and squeeze various places upon one another’s body. They didn’t have to be quiet, Savannah used to wake up at the smallest of sounds but lately she simply slept like a log and was easily catching up on all that lost sleep she had missed out on due to anxiety and hunger. Krista felt giddy and excited, she adored Savannah and now she was pregnant with her own little Ramsay, something she had started to doubt would ever happen for them. She drew back and looked him in the eye, unable to hide her joy from him.
“I love you so much,” Krista touched his face, thinking back to their first encounter and hardly able to fathom just how the Hell they had ever got to this point. She felt his hand rest upon her stomach, it was barely any bigger than it normally was but it was still early days yet.
“And I love you more than words can say,” Gordon told her sincerely, “this trip to Switzerland, let’s get married while we’re there.”
Krista nodded eagerly, it was very short notice but Gordon had a private jet and could easily fly anyone there who wanted to come along. Krista had kept it low key, but she had been taking a business course during her time as a hotel cleaner and she was keen to someday own a hotel herself. Gordon had sussed her out almost immediately and with his help, she was fast becoming close to landing such a dream that she’d had for a long time. Part of her wanted to be successful and rake in the big dollars like Gordon was, but part of her just wanted a place for her friends and relatives to stay that was both comfortable and had excellent food. Gordon wouldn’t steer her wrong, he really knew his stuff and if he was stuck on something, he sourced more information from anyone who might have an idea to help him along his way.
They stood up and went to the bedroom, giggling and stripping the whole way until they were finally nude as they fell upon the bed together, kissing and groping as they had been earlier.
“Gordon,” Krista broke the kiss and squealed when he growled at her, “babe, why did you want me to take a test?”
“You’ve been growing,” Gordon told her bashfully, cupping her breasts as if weighing them, “they feel fuller and heavier. I had a hunch but I didn’t want to excite you.. “
“You always excite me,” Krista breathed, gazing heatedly into his eyes.
Gordon looked at her with that bewildered baby face of his and she smiled at him like a wildcat who was stalking her prey, something that never failed to get him on the run and she quickly straddled him, pinning his upper arms down firmly. Knowledge was power and they were safe with the knowledge that everything was going to be alright, much thanks to their rock star acquaintance. Krista began by slowly rolling her hips, going directly for the kill. Gordon uttered a short groan and half heartedly tried to get up, thrilling her when he allowed her to put him back down in his place without protest. His back arched and his eyes closed, she loved to be in control and to watch him just lay there and take it.
How she would laugh so loudly whenever she watched Hell’s Kitchen, especially when Gordon was furious and the contestants were shaking in their shoes while he screamed into their faces. If they only knew what a cuddly pushover he really was, they would probably laugh too but then that would kinda kill the whole series so unfortunately, she had to keep it under wraps whenever possible. Of course, not all of it was drawn from nowhere. She knew he had a rough time growing up and an even rougher time learning his trade, ending up crying in a corner in some kitchen before leaving to become his own boss. Gordon had a dangerous temper, she had seen the real deal for herself but thankfully, he also had a true chef’s discipline and had never actually seriously hurt anyone. He knew he was big and strong, so a fair fight it could never be with arrogant little pipsqueaks, who almost always backed down the moment they came face to chest with him. Yet here she was now, slender and petite, pinning him down and making him groan mercilessly.
“Oohh, sexy baby.. “ Krista moaned deeply, leaning down to kiss with him and grind her hips harder down until his groan was almost pleadingly high in pitch. Gordon felt flustered at her teasing, he really couldn’t stand it for long and wanted to get started but it was important for them both to be playful and flirty before anything too serious happened in bed, it was all part of the bonding experience and kept things interesting between them.
“Damn!” Gordon vented his frustrations, but Krista just smiled against his cursing lips.
“Something wrong, sweetie?” she purred, feeling his hot, throbbing member pulsing as it rested just between her thighs. She slid herself along the underside of his shaft, eliciting another set of expletives from him as she was super slick and ready for him.
“Potty mouth,” Krista scolded him gently, shrieking when he suddenly flipped her onto her back and leaned down to begin love biting her neck.
“Ohh! Oh God, no! Fuck!” Krista mock protested, this would always sting like Hell but she moaned at the eventual pleasure pain and went limp for him. Encouraged by the tension suddenly draining from her body, Gordon uttered a dominant kind of growl against her bruising flesh and Krista whimpered softly in response. She was always thrilled when their love making got animalistic, it turned her on so badly, probably because she was one of those rare few left anymore that actually found dominating males hot. And she did.
Krista found it extremely hot when Gordon was the top male in any situation, but she secretly found it exciting too when he wasn’t, though she never admitted this to him! Oh how he hated to lose! Swearing and moaning half formed words was the extent of their vocals, dirty talk wasn’t really a thing here and when they had tried it, they had ended up laughing so much that sex was the last thing they could think of doing anymore. Anything they said had to be completely spur of the moment, or else. Gordon drew back, admiring his bite.
“The mark of the beast,” Krista hissed, already feeling the throb in her neck that announced she’d be sporting the telltale bruise as early as tonight.
“I’m so fucking hard, babe.. “ Gordon’s voice was deep and low, revealing his need to have her and soon. Krista had come to know each of his tones and what they meant, making any chance of lying to her almost impossible and yet she had noticed that he’d never once even tried it on her.
“Let me kiss it better.. “ she cooed at him, scooting down to suckle-kiss the head of his erection.
“Kristaahh!” Gordon tried to scold her but ended up moaning, as she squeezed his buttocks and sucked his straining member deeper into her mouth, “ohh no.. “ She knew he wanted to be in control and he knew he’d just have to wait his turn but Gordon was not known for his patience..
“Mmmm,” Krista moaned, enjoying the taste of Gordon’s erection in her mouth, becoming easily seduced by his groans of pleasure and the feel of his strong hands resting firmly upon her shoulders.
She remembered how turned on he made her whenever she saw him get all red and fired up on the television, when he started shouting and swearing, she would imagine herself soothing him with soft touches and stolen kisses.
“It’s easy,” she would whisper softly at the screen, “just kiss him and show him who is boss.. “
It definitely worked for her at home, Gordon’s knees always turned to jelly when she kissed him but of course they couldn’t hear her and she would do it for them sometimes and felt a bit silly when her lips touched nothing but glass. Gordon would probably not calm down if the contestants suddenly started molesting him, so it was just something she said when she was in her own company and nobody was actually around to hear her. It really wasn’t fair though, she didn’t know how anyone could stand to listen to him talk without being able to touch him. Krista never failed to get excited by his voice, from the soft, sleepy tone of early morning Gordon, to the snarling expletives of Hell’s Kitchen Gordon - and every single other tone in between.
He could just talk random nonsense and she’d be ready to bed him within minutes, but what really got her going was when he was with his friends. He was so confident and relaxed, always grinning and laughing, playing around and just being so normal. It always made her smile and feel so much at ease, as if the world was perfect and nothing was ever wrong.
“Babe?” Gordon’s voice startled her and she looked up into his questioning blue eyes, “is something wrong?”
Krista hadn’t realized she’d stopped, she blushed and smiled up at him bashfully.
“I was just daydreaming about you,” she admitted softly.
“You don’t need to daydream,” Gordon laughed gently at her, “I’m right here, darling.. I don’t know, two years together and you’re still bloody fangirling!”
Krista looked at him and dropped her jaw, then she bit her bottom lip and smacked his bare butt.
“Hey!” Gordon jumped, laughing again, “watch the merchandise!”
“I think I can afford it,” Krista giggled.
“Cheeky monkey,” Gordon growled, eliciting another giggle-squeal from her as he grabbed her and started to kiss her belly.
“Gordon!” Krista couldn’t stop laughing, she was very ticklish there, “Gordon! Stop!”
Her giggles soon turned into soft moans, as his kisses extended down past her navel and his tongue flicked out to begin teasing her sensitive folds that were slick and warm. Her fingers ran through his hair, unable to resist his relentless licking and suckling, she leaned back and relaxed her thighs wide open for him. Gordon stopped at that moment and leaned up to kiss at her neck, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and encouraged his eagerness to make love with her, arching her back in pleasure as he entered her immediately. She heard a soft groan come from him that she didn’t recognize, it sounded like a sigh but a puzzled one.
“Does it feel different now?” Krista asked softly.
“Yeah,” Gordon still sounded taken by surprise, “but.. in a good way.”
Krista was relieved and she closed her eyes, pulling him down closer so she could make out with him. She clung to him tightly, thrusting with him and not letting him go so that even if he stood up and walked out of the room, she’d still be hanging there with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Gordon broke the kiss and started to breathe heavily, Krista was shorter than him so she easily reached his chest with her lips and began to tease her tongue in tight circles around his nipples. He swore and she felt him throb inside of her, he came undone so quickly when she teased him, no matter how much control he thought he had over her at any given time. In an unexpected move, he grasped her breast and gave it a squeeze, reaching down with one hand to try and retaliate against her attack on his sensitive chest. Krista whined softly, feeling his fingertips pinch her nipple, which was extra sensitive now but he was quite gentle, as if he knew without her even mentioning it.
“Ohh.. “ Gordon groaned deeply, he knew it would get to her and it did, she couldn’t ever hear him groan without getting excited, “uhhuuhh!”
Krista swore this time, abandoning his chest and diving up for his mouth, quelling his moans by stifling them with her kisses. He shifted a little so that as he thrust in and out of her, their bodies would grind together and Krista felt her sensitive nub begin to tingle as the friction upon it now was sending her into the starting stages of climax. He sped up and she tightened her thighs around him, suddenly pushing him down onto his back and riding him hard as she suddenly came with a loud, long moan, her body convulsing and her inner walls clamping firmly around his rigid erection. He was so close but stubbornly holding it back, able to last all night if he really wanted to. Krista slowed down as she slowly calmed herself, his eyes flew open and she smiled knowingly at him, he couldn’t take such a slow and deliberate pace and they both knew it.
“No, no.. Don’t slow down!” Gordon urged her.
“Easy baby.. “ Krista spoke to him softly, “just relax.. “
“Krista.. “ Gordon lay his head back down, “babe, please.. “
He reached for her hips, but she took hold of his wrists and pinned them down, grinding herself against him in circular motions.
“I love it when you beg, baby,” Krista whispered softly to him again.
He was coming undone now, groaning and trying to pull his hands free. Krista started to feel tingly again and began to speed up, reaching her second climax as Gordon was finally coaxed into release. His long, powerful spurts felt so good deep inside of her, his hot, throbbing shaft filling her with every drop of his surrender. He looked a little pouty when she next gazed upon him and she smiled, teasing her fingertips over his lips.
“You never let me win,” he said to her.
“Oh you could if you really wanted to!” Krista spoke knowingly.
Gordon put his arm around her as she snuggled up into him.
“I suppose I could,” he agreed, “since I’m so much stronger than you.”
Krista lifted her brow at him.
“You might be stronger,” Krista said softly, “but even the armor-skinned dragon has a soft underbelly.. “
She kissed at his chest and he hummed in response, proving her point and he smiled down at her. Krista gazed into his eyes. They looked at her so lovingly and she was mesmerized by them but Gordon was also entranced by hers and neither of them could look away for a long time until they kissed and settled in for some rest and lots of cuddles and they talked about what they’d name the new baby. Krista wanted to name the baby after Gordon, if it was a boy but Gordon said he would need to think about it first. His father’s name was Gordon James, just like him and it was a sensitive subject that he really didn’t enjoy to dwell upon.
*
The morning of the trip was slightly a hectic one, David phoned at around five in the A.M and it took him several minutes to get any sense out of the still half asleep chef, who at one point was holding his phone upside down and facing the wrong way. Krista groaned as Gordon prodded her, urging her to get up so they could have plenty of time to shower and get everything out to the car. Reminding him they had done everything the night before, Krista lured him back down into the bed for a snooze.
Woken some time later by the doorbell, Gordon sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. Krista was up perhaps a half hour ago, getting Savannah ready and ensuring the house was locked up tight. She was a little bit nervous to answer the door, because she hadn’t actually met David in person yet and she was scared! Not like he’d hurt her scared, but the fact that he was a big star scared. Tentatively, she pulled open the door and was met with a very cheeky smile that faded only slightly, she knew he would have expected Gordon to answer the door.
“Krista, hello!” David grinned at her anyway, reaching up to tickle Savannah’s chin, “she’s grown so much!”
“Hi David,” Krista loved how casual he was and not as awkward as she thought he might be around someone he didn’t know very well, “Iman, Lexie.. Come in!”
“Thanks,” David accepted and wandered inside, vanishing almost immediately. Iman carried Lexie inside, following Krista to the living room. They set the two girls down onto the floor to meet each other and looked at one another curiously.
“We haven’t met before,” Krista said impishly, “but I have heard so much about you.”
“It is a pleasure to finally meet Gordon’s family,” Iman smiled easily back at her and Krista relaxed, “I’m not well acquainted with him but David seems to like him and I trust his judge of character.”
“Well hopefully we can all get to know each other better in Switzerland,” Krista said confidently, “why are you going there?”
“We live there,” Iman replied, looking down at the two toddlers and smiling as they interacted favorably, “and David wants to ski soon before the snow melts.”
“I didn’t know you guys could ski,” Krista smiled broadly, “oh I cannot imagine Gordon.. “
Iman laughed along with her and Krista felt that she’d known the woman for years in just a matter of minutes. She was like this with all of Gordon’s friends, pretty much, he had such an innate sense of who was worth talking to and not one of the people he’d introduced her to had disappointed her yet.
“Is David alright?” Krista looked around, “he just sort of vanished.”
“Oh he’s fine,” Iman laughed gently, “he’ll be getting Gordon out of bed.” Iman wanted to add something humorous, like ‘usually he’d be trying to get Gordon INTO bed’ but she decided that perhaps it was too soon for such tongue-in-cheek giggles just yet.
“Ugh good luck with that!” Krista laughed as well, “he’s just in his boxers!”
Iman and Krista had to laugh quite a lot at the thought, then Krista offered Iman coffee and they sat down to wait for their boys to make an appearance.
When David wandered into the bedroom, Gordon was sitting up and leaning back against the head of the bed with his eyes half open.
“Hey!” Gordon suddenly opened his eyes wide, “get out of here!”
David looked at him with a shrug.
“It’s time to go, son,” David referred to him by the pet name he’d given the blue eyed chef, “up and at ‘em, come on.. “
It was the only nickname that David used that Gordon didn’t mind, the others just annoyed him and David only used them when he wanted a reaction out of him. It was also quite fitting, because Gordon liked to imagine David as a sort of father figure, since he didn't really have a decent one to look up to and everyone else he'd tried to idolize as such had only used and disappointed him. David hadn't ever judged him, or scolded him for calling late in the night to unload.
They had lost contact for a while during the recession, Gordon knew that David would have offered his home and anything else to him until he got back on his feet again but Gordon didn't want that. He knew David would not have even thought twice about it, though somehow it just didn't feel right to Gordon, to just drop in and live in someone else's house. Maybe if David was on his own, that might have been alright but he had a wife and child now, a family. It would have been awkward, or so Gordon had thought at the time. The truth was though, nothing was ever further from the truth, David and his little family always made people most welcome and would never let anyone feel uncomfortable around them if they could help it.
Gordon sighed and wished he hadn’t stayed up so late now, but he had to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything.
“I couldn’t get to sleep right away last night,” Gordon admitted, “I kept thinking Erica would do something.. “
David sat down next to him on the edge of the bed, looking at Gordon’s hands that now rested in his lap.
“She can’t do much,” David reassured Gordon, “from what you’ve told me, she doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on.”
Gordon’s eyes met with David’s now, a silent conversation happened between them, or so it would have seemed to an observer. Gordon was clearly worried more about what David had heard down at the bar and grill a few days ago, David was confident that nothing would come of it and it showed in his tight lipped smile.
“Alright,” Gordon finally spoke again, “hey, this is supposed to be fun, yeah?”
“Exactly,” David stood up and headed for the door, “chin up, son. It’ll all work out.”
Gordon nodded and David left him to get dressed, which Gordon appreciated because he was sporting his usual early-morning-boner and really wasn’t in the mood for smirks and glinting eyes. He pulled on his jeans and looked amused at the thought, because he knew David would never actually do anything like that. He might flirt and talk the talk but in the end, the age difference was a thing and David preferred the company of his wife anyway. He had behaved himself really well since marrying Iman, never once cheating on her. Now that was a strong marriage, Gordon could only hope that his own would last just as long and would remain just as intact as David and Iman’s was.
He put on a shirt, grabbed his jacket and went out into the living room. Lexie and Savannah were sitting together, eating some apple slices and bits of banana.
“They look happy enough,” Gordon smiled, greeting Iman with a soft kiss to both of her cheeks, "how are you, my darling?”
“I’m fine thank you, Gordon,” Iman beamed at him.
“Are we all ready to go then?” Gordon wondered.
“I should think so,” David mused playfully, “your wife’s been running around like crazy.”
“I thought we did everything last night?” Gordon looked around at Krista, who was carrying a nappy bag and her knees bent under it’s weight. He took it from her and slung it over his shoulder and Krista sighed, thanking him quietly.
“I forgot to pack Savannah’s things,” Krista told him, “are we going to be late?”
“Nah,” David laughed, “we’ve got plenty of time.”
“He’s just being polite,” Iman spoke sternly but more at David than anyone else, “we really should be leaving now.”
David smiled, looking like a puppy who had just been scolded and was trying to see if it’s master was permissible for a hug of apology. Krista giggled softly, picking up Savannah and following Iman outside. David scooped up Lexie, walking with Gordon out to their cars to load up and settle in for the drive to the docks. David was not a fan of flying, Iman revealed, so they would be taking an ocean cruise to Switzerland rather than a quick flight.
“Oh, that’s fine,” Krista smiled, “I’ve never done that before!”
“God, where’d you find this one, Gordon?” David frowned amusedly, “behind bars?”
“Not funny,” Gordon warned him.
“Oh lighten up, babe,” Krista kissed his cheek and hugged Gordon tightly, “actually David, I never really got out much because.. Well, I.. “ She was embarrassed to say she couldn’t afford it, she didn’t want the subject of marrying Gordon for his money to come up.
“S’alright love,” David spared her, “we’ve all been there.”
Krista nodded and tried hard not to let her eyes sting with tears of gratitude that they all understood. Iman, David and Gordon had each individually been there, all of them had their story of poverty and had somehow managed to make something of their lives in the end. She hoped to follow suit, rather than riding on Gordon’s coattails for the rest of her life. They all got into the cars and headed off, Krista looked at Gordon as he drove and he was grinning.
“What’s so funny?” she wondered.
“I can’t imagine driving with that man,” Gordon told her, knowing David would've been fiddling with the music player and driving him crazy.
“This is really fun though,” Krista giggled, “I had no idea they were so easy going, I figured they’d be totally snobbish.” Krista sat back and closed her eyes for a while, smiling.
“Lexie! Lexie!” Savannah cried out.
“Soon honey,” Gordon reassured her with a grin.
“Yeeaahh!” Savannah cheered, “Lexie!”
Krista exhaled and relaxed, they hadn’t really made a friendship like this before, with another couple and a child, she sincerely hoped it worked out because it was lonely sometimes and she missed her fun times with her ex-best-friend, Jazi. Perhaps this getaway was the break they needed, far away from the troubles they were having with Erica and just enjoying spending time with friends. Krista began to feel happy and giddy all over again, reminding herself that by the end of the little vacation, she was going to be finally married to the love of her life.
She opened her eyes and looked at Gordon again, his eyes were bright and he wore a smile on his handsome face. That was all it took for Krista to completely just let go and look forward to the trip, nothing was going to get her down, she simply wouldn’t let it happen.
Traveling in style was certainly something David had perfected, Krista couldn’t believe she was on a ship, it looked more like a luxury resort! She was soon sunbathing alongside Iman, Krista felt a little lumpy compared to the Somalian beauty but Iman was a supermodel, it was her job to look that amazing, so Krista tried not to let it disturb her self confidence. Gordon and David were keeping the little ones entertained, they were quite safe on such an expensive liner because not everybody could afford such a luxury and those who could, generally kept to themselves. The deck they were on, was for children and the two men sat down together to keep an eye on their daughters and just catch up on what they’d each been doing and what they planned to do in the near future.
“When you get back to the states,” David told Gordon, “if I were you, I’d get some legal advice and follow it through. I’ll come with you and make a statement if need be, you and your family deserve to feel safe.”
“That’s a very good idea,” Gordon nodded, “I shouldn’t have left it alone, but I just wanted to have my daughter and enjoy her peacefully without all the media hounds on our backs.”
“Yes,” David frowned, “that is going to be an issue for you, they’ll get wind of it for sure. Still, it’s a small price to pay for some peace of mind.”
“True,” Gordon leaned back and sighed, “I wanted to keep her out of the papers but I guess it was going to happen sooner or later.”
“It’ll blow over soon enough,” David reassured him, “and you probably don’t want to hear this but if somebody does end up trying to take her, a lot more people will know her little face and that just makes it harder to get away with such an attempt.”
Gordon nodded, it made a lot of sense and he was always very thankful for David’s pearls of wisdom whenever they were offered to him.
“I really wish you would have contacted me two years ago,” David spoke a little quieter now.
“I’m sorry,” Gordon lowered his voice as well, “I know I should have and I realize I may have hurt you.”
“Yeah, you did,” David said ruefully, “but you know what? I get it.”
“You do?” Gordon wondered.
“You’re a proud and stubborn man, Gordon,” David teased him a little, “I wouldn’t have thought twice about dropping in on you if I were in trouble.”
Gordon laughed, it was true though, sometimes he could be quite proud and stubborn.
“You’ve got a family now, David,” Gordon pointed out, “I didn’t want to upset things for you if your wife didn’t agree.”
David thought about it and nodded, if Iman had not agreed to let Gordon stay then it might have caused them to fight. They had the odd argument here and there, who didn’t? But they always found some common ground and compromised to make it better, rather than let it stew and fester for weeks on end.
“Perhaps it was none of my business,” David said with a twisted sort of grin, “but if it ever happens again, I’ll make it my business, got it?”
“Trust me, it’s not going to happen again,” Gordon reassured him, “I’ve learnt my lesson well. I’ve even got a trust fund for Savannah and everything.”
“Good, good.. “ David approved, standing up, “why don’t we get these girls fed and see what our wives are up to?”
“Yeah alright,” Gordon couldn’t believe it was nearly time for dinner, “what’s on for tonight?”
“I’ve got some things to do in the cabin,” David replied, “it’s important for me to get it finished.”
“You want some peace and quiet then?” Gordon wondered.
“Yeah,” David picked up Lexi, “it shouldn’t take too long though.”
“Oh good,” Gordon scooped up Savannah before she could make a run for the slide, “you can watch the girls while the rest of us go out and enjoy ourselves.”
David laughed and Gordon grinned at him.
“You do know there’s a supervised area for toddlers, right?” David asked.
“I did not know that,” Gordon replied, “is it safe?”
“It is quite safe, yes,” David replied, “I’ve used it once or twice myself. There’s only children under the age of four and Lexi never wants to leave when I come back to get her.”
“You don’t feel guilty just leaving her there?” Gordon wondered.
“No, well, I did at first,” David admitted, “but it’s all very secure and the kids just love it. There’s food and drink, they give you a buzz if you prefer to change the diaper yourself when it needs doing.”
“Sounds alright,” Gordon nodded, “I trust you, perhaps we can drop the girls off later and do something on the adults only deck?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” David winked at him cheekily.
“With our wives,” Gordon said firmly, though he smirked a little.
“Of course,” David acted innocent, “whatever did you think I meant?”
They continued on to the buffet deck to find something for the girls to eat, planning dinner and wine with Iman and Krista this evening, after they ensured that Lexi and Savannah were safe in the toddler’s area under the watchful supervision of well vetted, highly qualified professionals.
Gordon and David took their little ones to the buffet area, loading up a couple of plates for them and David had to smile when Gordon kept asking how fresh the fruit was and the way he poked and sniffed at the seafood carefully.
“You can take the chef out of the kitchen,” David mused.
“Oh stop,” Gordon laughed, “it’s important to watch what goes into your child’s mouth.” David shrugged and sat Lexi down next to Savannah, securing them into their little chairs.
“Everything goes into their mouths,” David set Lexi’s bowl down in front of her.
“Suppose all we can do is make sure everything’s clean,” Gordon commented.
“Did you ever think you’d be a dad?” David wondered, browsing over the table.
“I wanted it,” Gordon admitted, “I honestly thought Gertie and I would have had a few together.” David said nothing, he figured that subject was best left alone because he didn’t have anything nice to say about that woman at all.
“What about you?” Gordon asked.
“Not as early as I did the first time around, no,” David admitted, “I wouldn’t have changed it for the world, though. It wasn’t easy raising him alone but he’s a good lad, I don’t regret it.” Gordon nodded, it really had been unlucky that those two had gone as far as bringing a child into the world before their messy break up happened, but David had a best friend in his son and Duncan was probably the main reason David finally decided to get away from the drugs.
“Lexi is our little miracle,” David smiled down at her so lovingly, “we tried for seven years to no avail and then, there she was. Just one year shy of menopause.”
“Fuck,” Gordon swore softly, “that was lucky.. “
“Yeah,” David pursed his lips and fell silent, he’d wanted more but he was content with his little girl. Gordon sensed the desire for a subject change, so he pushed aside the urge to mention Krista’s pregnancy for now.
“So what’s it like at home now?” Gordon asked him, “do you have any time for yourself?”
“Not at first,” David replied, “but I learned to juggle everything in the end.”
“So you’re really hands on?” Gordon wondered.
“Everything but diapers,” David grimaced.
“Same,” Gordon laughed, sitting down with the girls and David sat next to him.
“They really like each other,” David commented. Lexi and Savannah were eating their dinner together, each watching what the other was picking up and trying to copy, ending up in giggles and lots of mess everywhere.
*
Iman and Krista had left the sunbathing deck chairs once the sky had turned into a pinkish sunset, they made their way back to their cabin and got dressed, before heading up to find their husbands and children. Soon the two families were all seated at the same table and it felt so relaxed and calm, free of tension and fear. Krista kept stroking Gordon’s inner thighs with her foot, keen to get him going and enjoying his flushed cheeks as he tried to remain focused on the conversation they were all having about the cruise ship and what other things they’d each like to do before they arrived in Switzerland.
“So I’m curious,” Krista smiled adoringly at the two men, “how did you two meet?” They didn’t seem the likeliest of friends but they definitely made it work somehow.
“Oh, you know,” David’s eyes lit up the way they always did when he was getting himself into mischief, “I asked Iman to recommend the worst restaurant in town.”
“Hey!” Gordon lifted a brow, “what was that?”
“Let me finish,” David looked extremely amused and Iman was suppressing a giggle, “so we went there and we found a film crew standing around.. “
“Wait, why did you want to visit the worst place in town?” Krista wondered.
“Sitting right here!” Gordon looked very unamused indeed.
“Oh stop it, David,” Iman said gently but firmly, “tell her the truth!” David laughed quietly and sat back, nodding and looking a little bashful.
“Alright, alright,” David relented, “we met at the farmer’s market out by the docks, I was looking for something different to make for dinner and Gordon recommended the striped bass.” Krista loved Gordon’s striped bass, it was simply divine.
“I was looking for a decent salmon but I never did find it,” Gordon added, “you were looking a bit lost, so I thought I’d help you out.”
“Did you know who he was?” Iman asked with a smile.
“Yeah,” Gordon nodded, “yeah I did, it was intense.”
“I had no clue who Gordon was at the time,” David grinned, “he was just some young, know it all punk for all I knew.”
“So what happened?” Krista asked, fascinated by the tale.
“We tried the bass,” Iman replied now, “David made it just the way Gordon had instructed him and it was delicious!”
“I went back again the next day,” David added, “we exchanged numbers and that’s pretty much it.”
“I wasn’t going to go back there,” Gordon revealed.
“Then why did you?” Krista asked him, amazed at how funny fate could be sometimes.
“I admit I was a little starstruck,” Gordon suddenly blushed and grinned, “I was just hoping to see David again, actually.”
“Rubbish,” David spoke with a knowing, yet cheeky sort of grin of his own, “you just wanted to ask me how the bass was.”
“That sounds like Gordon,” Krista had to laugh heartily and Gordon sat back to fold his arms in bemusement but he eventually saw the funny side of it and they all settled back into a nice dinner together.
Afterwards, David went to do some work in the cabin while Lexi and Savannah napped in the bed nearby. Iman, Krista and Gordon went up to the adults only deck to grab a few drinks and wait for David to join them.
“Doesn’t it bother you that he’s working when he is supposed to be enjoying himself?” Krista asked Iman.
“David enjoys himself no matter what he does,” Iman smiled casually at her, “otherwise, he simply wouldn’t do it.”
“He sounds so spoilt,” Krista giggled, “but then I guess that’s a pretty good way to live, only doing the things that you enjoy.” Iman nodded, her gaze flicking to Gordon.
“He is rather spoilt,” Iman agreed, “but he deserves to be happy. We all do.” Krista followed Iman’s gaze and she had to grin at her future husband, who was standing over by the barbeque area, beer in hand and joking with the other men about being allergic to vegetarians.
“If those guys weren’t laughing so hard,” Krista shook her head, “I’d have to drag him away from there!”
“Oh, don’t even get me started!” Iman’s eyes grew wide, “David has a wicked sense of humor but sometimes he gets a little too friendly and I often have to distract him away before someone tries to punch him.”
“Does he often flirt with other people?” Krista wondered, worried that Gordon might be the same way whenever he was not with her.
“He doesn’t mean to,” Iman replied, “he’s just so damned charming, it comes off as flirting sometimes.”
“I see,” Krista was more worried now, what if someone thought Gordon was flirting and tried something with him?
“You seem upset,” Iman noticed.
“I’m not used to being with a famous person,” Krista admitted, “Gordon wasn’t that big of a deal when we first met. In fact, he was a real mess.. ”
“That makes your relationship with him all the more special,” Iman beamed proudly at her, “he must know that you love him unconditionally then.”
“Oh I do,” Krista looked over at him with doe eyes, “I really do.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Iman said to her firmly, “he would be a fool to risk losing you and from what David says about him, Gordon Ramsay is no fool.” Krista smiled, relaxing and taking a sip of her drink.
“You know, David wasn’t exactly my first choice when we first met,” Iman admitted, “but he grew on me. I got to know the real man behind the stage persona and he won me over. I tried to not worry about other people trying to turn his head, he makes it so easy for me when we are together but like you, I did get a little paranoid whenever we were apart.”
“How did you stop being so wary?” Krista wondered, eyeing some women suspiciously as they wandered over to the barbeque area and joined the men there.
“Trust,” Iman replied simply, “I just trust David to make the right decision whenever the situation arises. I know it happens, it is unavoidable and he enjoys flirting back and forth and that is okay, it’s just part of who he is. I know there’s nothing meaningful behind it and he has given up drinking anything more than a glass of wine here and there.”
“I wish I could be so sure with Gordon,” Krista said softly, “he’s such a confident, athletic, outgoing, easy to talk to guy.. I often wonder what the hell someone like him is even doing with a nobody like me.. “
“You’re more than somebody to him,” David had wandered over by now, “you saved his life.”
“I caught him on the rebound,” Krista doubted herself.
“No,” Iman insisted now, “I have seen the way he looks at you, Krista, there isn’t an ounce of regret in his eyes at all. David looks at me in much the same way, don’t you darling?” David smiled at her and Krista saw the way he looked at Iman, as if he really couldn’t help doing it and she found it simply adorable.
“You two are just disgustingly sweet,” Krista scrunched up her nose and grinned, “you really see Gordon looking at me that way?”
“I do,” Iman nodded, “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed it!”
Krista looked over at Gordon and he suddenly seemed to sense her eyes upon him, glancing back at her and offering her a pleased grin. Krista’s breath caught in her throat, it was subtle probably because he was with other guys standing around being all manly and shit but it was definitely there, the look she’d been missing due to her lack of self confidence.
“See?” Iman smiled knowingly, as David began to kiss her neck languidly, “I told you so-oohh.. “
Krista blushed and averted her gaze, her heart thumping madly and nothing could wipe the silly grin from her face just now. He loved her, like truly loved her, the way she loved him! She could not have been more relieved and so happy, the giddy feeling of getting to marry him soon suddenly returning to make her want to start jumping up and down, squealing in excitement.
Krista turned back to Iman as David wandered over to join Gordon at the barbeque gathering, keen to get some steak sandwiches to bring back, so Iman was heading over to claim a table for them all.
“I wish I could stop Gordon from drinking so much,” Krista admitted, sitting down near Iman at their table, “he doesn’t drink half as much as he did when we first met but he still gets drunk from time to time.”
“He’s still quite young though,” Iman spoke in a permitting tone of voice, “he doesn’t hurt you, does he?”
“Oh no,” Krista blushed suddenly, “Gordon’s not an angry drunk, it just makes him very sleepy.”
“David got very aroused when he drank too much,” Iman grinned amusedly, “those days are long over by now but he hasn’t lost his passion for me at all.” Krista giggled.
“I noticed!” she exclaimed, “aww, but it’s so adorable.. “
It was cute to watch how different the two men were socially, David liked to casually blend in amongst the group, while Gordon preferred to lead the conversation and make sure he was being noticed. David was quite over being the center of attention during his touring days, taking a break from big crowds and screaming fans was perfectly ideal to him at the moment, but he’d eventually crave the attention again and go on another tour. Until then, he was perfectly happy to just be ‘one of the guys’. Gordon could never get enough attention, he was still eager to please and enjoyed putting good food onto people’s plates, reveling in the happy smiles and satisfied hums of delight they gave him in return.
“What is so fascinating over there?” Iman wondered aloud, looking again over at the gathering at the barbeque area, “oh no.. “
Krista glanced up and over, stifling a giggle as Gordon was taking over at the grill.
“Should I go and.. “ Krista began, when suddenly she saw David flipping some burgers alongside him, “oh dear Lord.. “
“You just can’t take them anywhere,” Iman sighed, biting back a smile.
It turned out to be a very pleasant evening, with people complimenting the change in the barbequed food, remarking on how they used to call it the ‘char grill’ before tonight. Krista’s favorite part was the dancing and meeting some new people who Gordon had introduced her to. Then they went and got the girls from the toddler’s area, put them to bed and bid one another goodnight. David and Iman went to their room, while Krista and Gordon slipped quietly into theirs. Savannah and Lexi were in the main area, safely sound asleep in their portable cribs. Krista turned and watched Gordon strip down to his briefs and get into the bed, his eyes half closed and his breathing slow.
“How many did you have tonight?” she asked him, trying to keep her voice light but he saw through it.
“Only fi-five or six,” he said stiffly, a furrow to his brow revealing his disinterest in being scolded right now.
Krista sighed and got into the bed alongside him, there was no use in fighting with him if he wasn’t even going to remember it the next day. Gordon pulled her into his embrace and closed his eyes, Krista snuggled up into his bare chest and smiled as her eyes closed as well, they could talk about this another time. She hated to argue with him, he always got so defensive and just a little frightening, even though she knew he’d never lift a finger against her, she couldn’t help thinking back to episodes of Hell’s Kitchen and flinching when his eyes got fierce. The funny thing was, Gordon never actually shouted at Krista. He raised his voice only very slightly when he got angry or wanted to be heard, but he never once had ever shouted at her.
Gordon never would, he respected her far too much to put her through that and he preferred to make people laugh rather than cringe. Having a good time, that’s what life was all about but he was quite sensitive about his business and that’s when he got very serious indeed. He didn’t like being made a fool of, so when he promised his diners something and the chefs in training couldn’t deliver, it got on his nerves quite badly. He was an assertive and confident man, but deep, deep down there was always going to be that lost side of him, terrified of ending up all alone and not a penny to his name. It was going to take a long time for that fear to subside, though eventually Krista would ease it away with her open loyalty towards him and their little family unit. As much as he made her feel safe and secure, Gordon had to admit that she was making him feel safe too, but in a different way. They really connected when they came together, like two pieces of a puzzle that had been finally matched up.
Krista hoped that Gordon wouldn’t be too sick tomorrow, with the hangover he was likely going to experience, along with the rocking of the ship itself, it couldn’t make for a very comfortable combination for him.
*
By the time they arrived in Switzerland, the bonds between each of them could not have been stronger. Lexi and Savannah had become fast friends, behaving more like close sisters. This was exactly what Krista had hoped would happen, because Savannah had no friends her own age to really connect with. Savannah had also stopped panicking when in the presence of Iman or David, quickly figuring out that they wouldn’t hurt her and beginning to show them some trust. She was still nervous around most other adults, but Gordon was hoping that she would at least behave calmly and just stick close to someone she knew and trusted, rather than draw attention to herself and scream bloody murder.
Iman, Gordon, Krista and David had all become quite close by now as well, it was an essential step to spending some weeks together in the same house. Krista still felt like the odd one out though, nobody ever swamped around her for autographs and photos like they did with the other three. Sometimes she was glad of it because it looked really annoying, but other times she did feel a little left out. Of course the feeling never really lasted, because Gordon would never be sidetracked by his fans for long before he started looking around and trying to locate Krista. He would pull her close to him, or ensure that they never stopped holding hands so that they wouldn’t get accidentally split up amidst the larger crowds.
That he thought about her even when he was being praised and admired was a real boost for Krista’s confidence in their relationship and she told Iman as much during a conversation that first night. Gordon was cooking dinner for everyone and David was ‘helping’ him, so that left the two women to talk about things and of course they had to bring up the subject of their significant others eventually.
“David is lost without me, too,” Iman smiled as she boasted and Krista giggled, “but you know, we were walking together down the street and the laces of my trainers came undone, so he just stops, gets down and ties them up for me! I never asked him to and he’s always doing things like that, he takes good care of me.”
Krista beamed happily, it was so good to hear the similarities between Gordon and David.
“We sure struck the jackpot,” Krista mused.
“As did they,” Iman said firmly, “we might be lucky to have them but they are equally as lucky to have us!”
Krista was not as self confident as Iman, she figured Gordon could easily attract another woman into his life but perhaps as Iman was suggesting, this new woman would be all wrong for him.
“You’re such a strong and confident woman,” Krista admired the supermodel.
“I have been through a lot,” Iman admitted, “I had to learn things the hard way.”
Krista nodded and they both glanced up as David appeared in the doorway.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” he told them, smiling at Iman like a lovesick puppy.
“Alright darling,” Iman smiled back at him, “we’re coming.”
David took the hint and went back to help set the table, Iman turned back to Krista and sighed happily.
“It’s so nice to have someone to talk to like this,” Iman said, picking up Lexi from the rug on the floor, “most of my friends haven’t even thought about getting married yet.”
“Oh, same,” Krista related to her problem, picking up Savannah, “sometimes Gordon is just too much and I want to gush to somebody about him but.. “
Iman smiled knowingly.
“But there is only him and you don’t want to make him feel all embarrassed like some crazy fan,” Iman knew what Krista was trying to say.
“Exactly,” Krista felt relieved that she understood.
“You know,” Iman tried not to laugh, “Gordon does just exactly that, but don’t tell him I told you.”
Krista couldn’t believe that Gordon would be gushing about her, she was nothing special.
“He talks about me to you?” Krista lifted a brow.
“Not to me,” Iman replied, heading for the dining room, “to David.”
Krista blushed hotly.
“David tells you?” she wondered.
“We have no secrets,” Iman nodded, “but don’t worry, it goes no further.”
Krista wasn’t worried about good things going around about her, she was more just curious as to what kinds of things Gordon had specifically said. They all sat down to eat and David sat up straight, looking like he wanted to say something.
“Before we eat,” David said with a grin, “why don’t we each say something we’re grateful for?”
He picked up his glass and held it in towards the middle of the table.
“I’m grateful for nights that turned into mornings,” David started them off.
“Friends that turned into family,” Gordon held his glass up to join with David’s.
Krista held hers up too.
“Dreams that turned into reality,” she smiled.
Iman held hers up last, looking pointedly at her husband.
“Likes that turned into love,” she said firmly.
They each took a sip of their drinks and the dinner was amazing, as always, with small giggles as David kept pointing out all the bits he had done to help.
Just after dinner, Krista and Gordon let it slip that they planned to be married very shortly. Krista also unexpectedly announced her pregnancy, which made Gordon tense up a little and flick his uncertain gaze to David, but his friend was just as excited to learn of the new baby as Iman. Upon realizing there was no upset, Gordon was able to relax and enjoy the happy atmosphere that the trip was supposed to have been all about in the first place. The girls went to bed early, tired from the trip and they slept in the same room comfortably. The adults went outside to sit on the back patio, the women chatted and giggled as the men decided to play around with an old football Gordon found laying around in the garden. A few of their close friends and neighbors came to see them, some noticing their lights were on while others had been following them online.
It turned into quite a fun filled evening, but Krista was glad to finally lay down in bed and close her eyes that night. She wore a huge grin on her face, it just wouldn’t go away and she didn’t want it to, either. She opened her eyes when she felt Gordon get into the bed beside her, turning her head to gaze at him affectionately. She could smell the beer on his breath but it was a comforting kind of scent, he was always very friendly and sleepy when he drank and Krista felt lucky that she got to be with someone who abhorred violence like Gordon did. Not even if he was blind, staggering drunk, he would never intentionally hurt someone. He never went that far though, the moment he started to feel tired he put down his drink and left it alone.
“I feel like it’s all just too good to be true,” Krista said softly, as he pulled the duvet up over them and tossed his shorts onto the floor. Gordon turned towards her and pulled her into his embrace, she enjoyed the feel of his naked flesh against hers and sighed in content.
“Mmm, get used to it darling,” he slurred tiredly, eyes closing, “it’s only going to get better.. “
She smiled at him, his accent broken and almost hard for her to understand.
“I love you so much,” she said softly, kissing the tip of his nose but he just parted his lips and snored quietly.
Krista snuggled down into his chest and closed her eyes, she was still smiling when the sun filtered in through the window and woke her out of her restful sleep. Gordon was still out of it, so she got out of the bed carefully and crept downstairs to set the coffee machine going but David was already in the kitchen and the coffee was ready to pour by the time Krista got there.
“Morning,” Krista smiled at him. David, who was reading the paper, startled and set the paper down onto the counter. He hadn’t heard her come in or noticed that the coffee was ready, he’d been too interested in the news.
“Good Morning,” he responded with a cheerful grin, “coffee?”
“I shouldn’t,” Krista rubbed her belly and David nodded.
“I’ll get you some juice,” he suggested happily.
Krista thanked him and sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter, pulling the newspaper towards herself and opening it up to browse through it.
“How long have you been up?” Krista wondered.
“Couple of hours,” David replied casually, “did you sleep well enough?”
“Like a log, thank you,” Krista smiled at him and accepted the tall glass of juice he offered to her.
“Good,” David nodded, making himself and Iman some coffee, “I’m really glad to hear that.”
Krista watched him take the two mugs of coffee away and she figured he and Iman were going to have a lazy morning in bed today and why not? It would be such a lovely start to the day, the children were still asleep and it was early enough for an hour or two of extra snooze time. Krista took her juice and the paper, it was freezing outside but the house was easily temperate inside and she wanted to cuddle up to Gordon some more before they started the day.
Walking past David and Iman’s bedroom, Krista heard sexual moans coming from behind the door, so she blushed and quickly went upstairs to get into bed next to her sleeping chef. He was still all warm and cozy, so she shifted closer to him to get herself warm again after being up and out of bed for a while. She had a busy day planned, they had already invited many people to the wedding, now they just needed to finalize everything and ensure that they hadn’t missed anyone or overlooked anything important. She opened the newspaper again, but it was not in English, so she just looked at the pictures for a while and tried to guess what the stories were about.
Giving up after a while, she grabbed up her phone and went online to see what was happening in the news this morning. She browsed for a while and then she felt her heart drop into her gut, as a headline struck her into a brief moment of complete body and mind paralysis. It read: Gordon Ramsay raped me and stole my baby! Krista’s hands trembled as she unwillingly read the piece, her eyes growing wider and her heart pumping quickly as she got to the end and saw a picture of Erica there. She was being consoled by her boyfriend and looked to be in tears, the fake bitch..
“Mmph, no.. “ Gordon mumbled in his sleep, furrowing his brow restlessly, “don’t fry it, David.. “
Krista would have smiled at him if she wasn’t in a state of shock and near panic, this was not what he needed right now and she had half a mind to hide it from him at any cost.
****
(page 6: http://luv-bowie-luver.livejournal.com/54136.html)